Story
1. The absolutely key and central stories in the faith.
2. Why are these stories sacred?
3. How are they sacred?
4. In what ways are these stories of importance to the religion?
5. Levels of meaning and interpretation in stories of faith.
6. The manner in which story relates to both individuals and communities.
The Qur'anThe sacred text of Islam and believed by Muslims to be the word of God revealed to the Prophet tells the stories of only a number of prophets among the 124,000 prophets that have been sent. Some of the ones told in some detail are the Stories of Adam and Eve and their fall from Heaven, NoahOne of the major patriarchal figures of the Bible and the Ark, AbrahamFounder of the Jewish nation and his trials, JosephA major figure of the Exodus stories of the Bible, MosesRegarded as the law giver and major founder of Judaism and Pharaoh, and MaryThe mother of Jesus and the miraculous birth of JesusFounder of Christianity. Whilst the Qur'an makes reference to the Prophet's personality and being, it does not really tell stories about him in the way it does with those mentioned above. Nevertheless stories about the Prophet and his life are the most important in IslamLiterally submission to God; one of the three great monotheistic Abrahamic religions but they are found in the SunnahThe traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) including his sayings, deeds and approval of practices or in biographies (sirah). As for the Shi'ahA faction of Islam who view their Imams as the extension of prophethood and hence as perfect examples just like the Prophet, stories about the Imams and their lives play a central role in their faith.
Firstly, some of these stories are narrated in the Qur'an which Muslims believe is the verbatim word of GodTerm often used to describe holy scripture. Therefore it is a sacred book with God as its 'author'. Since the Qur'an is the eternal book, its teachings still apply today and forever. As for the stories of the Prophet, and the Imams for the Shi'ah, they are sacred because these personalities are sinless and all their actions, sayings and approvals are in accordance with Islam and are the perfect example for Muslims of every age.
The stories of the Qur'an are sacred as the Qur'an is the Word of God. The Sunnah of the Prophet is sacred because everything he did or said was nothing other than revelation:
By the Star when it goes down—Your Companion is neither astray nor being misled. Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspirationReferring to the power of God to breathe life into works sent down to him. (53:1-4)
These stories are meant to bring a person closer to God. As the Qur'an says, the generations of the past have long gone. They alone are accountable for their own deeds. But God tells us their stories so humans can learn from their example because these stories are true and factual not fictional or mythical. These stories are important as they are reminders for Muslims of our own obligations and our own faith and we can benefit from them:
Therefore do remind, in case reminding does benefit [the hearer] (Surah 87:9)
As the Qur'an is considered the eternal word of God, each story or event mentioned can be interpreted according to context and time and people of all generations. In Islam, everything has a double meaning; one is apparent and the other is hidden. Hence these stories, other than their explicit meanings, have deeper implicit meanings. The Qur'an caters for the lay person just as much as for the learned, however based on each person's intellectual abilities and spiritualA word with many religious connotations, often used to describe a multiplicity of phenomena that would include inner, reflective or emotional experiences, and those aspects of life that give it meaning and depth or which are profoundly moving or aesthetic. level, there would be different levels of understandings and meanings.
The purpose of these stories is to guide and teach. Through these stories, one can learn from the example of the prophets but also from the example of the people they were sent to; so, how to be and how not to be. They also show the responsibility of each individual not just to follow the crowd but to think for himself because one is easily influenced by his environment which may lead him astray. As prophets (and Imams for the Shi'ah) are infallibleA term used of religious narratives when they are considered to be without error beings, people should model themselves on these exemplary beings.
Websites
http://pof.reonline.org.uk/islam.php
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/ (useful Qur'an search engine in English)
http://www.virtuallyislamic.com (This website provides a list of Islamic websites which are regularly updated, go to 'Islamic Studies Pathways')
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